Evaluation
Goals of the project and objectives of the evaluation
Purpose of the study and components of the evaluation
Download a copy of the evaluation (pdf format) (large 56 page document) OR View the evaluation as a web page.
Change Agent States for Diversity Evaluation Study
The
Change Agent States for Diversity (CASD) project, initiated by Cooperative
Extension, is a catalytic step in beginning the transformation of the Land
Grant University system. It is
a consortium of eight states dedicated to supporting greater cultural diversity
in land grant universities, by bringing the needed technical skills and training
to each of the member states. Through
this collaborative approach, the consortium will develop successful models
and strategies that can be applied throughout the system. This project will use a multifaceted, holistic approach to
bring organizational change.
The
overall goals of this project are as follows:
Ø
To build the capacity of Land Grant universities
to function inclusively and effectively in a multicultural world; and
Ø
To set standards and implement a vision
for supporting healthy, thriving, culturally diverse communities through Extension,
research and academic programs.
The
purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Change Agent
States for Diversity Project. This
evaluation will assess states’ movement in three organizational change
initiatives: Organizational Profile,
Valuing Differences Education, and Managing Diversity Skill Development.
The
overall objectives of this evaluation are:
·
To assess the climate for underrepresented
groups in CASD Project states.
·
To profile the extension workforce in each
CASD Project state. Specific
characteristics considered include:
gender, race, age, salary, position, promotion, length of employment,
and reason for leaving the organization.
·
To determine the extent to which extension
educators in CASD Project states have become more knowledgeable and skilled
in their ability to work effectively with diverse populations;
·
To identify organizational changes that
have occurred within CASD Project states to build the capacity of the institution
to more effectively serve diverse populations.
·
To determine the role of the Catalyst Team
in the CASD Project.
·
To identify new strategies and models developed
to address diversity and support a multicultural organization.
More
specifically, the following are several selected key research questions:
-
What is the planned strategy for involvement of extension professionals in valuing differences training in each state?
-
What diversity-related professional development opportunities are available for extension employee participation? What is the frequency of such offerings, who attends, and is participation voluntary or mandatory?
-
Have new personnel staffing goals in the area of hiring, promotion, and retention been developed or revised based on the profile assessment of 2000?
-
Have specific hiring and promotion policies been revised to more effectively meet diversity goals?
-
Is diversity competence included in the evaluation/appraisal system? What are the performance criteria?
-
How do administrators model diversity competence to their staffs?
-
Have administrators participated in diversity-focused training?
-
What strategies do administrators identify as supporting the employment, development, retention, and promotion of diverse groups in the organization?
-
What barriers do administrators identify as inhibiting the employment, development, retention, and promotion of diverse groups in the organization?
-
In state that include both an 1862 and an 1890 land grant institution: How often do the administrators of both institutions meet? What joint planning has occurred between the administrations of the two institutions to address diversity issues?
-
What is the composition of the Catalyst Team in each state? What positions do members hold? What members of the administrative team serve on the Catalyst Team? Does the team include members from outside of the organization?
-
What communication strategies does the Catalyst Team use to communicate with various levels of the organization?
-
What has been the benefit to CASD states of working together collaboratively as a consortium, as opposed to working independently as individual states?
-
What new strategies are currently in place to address diversity within Cooperative Extension?
The
comprehensive evaluation of the CASD Project will span a five-year period. The research design will incorporate both
quantitative and qualitative methodology. Survey research, personal and group interviews, and review
of documents will be incorporated into the data collection process. More specifically:
o
A climate assessment survey will
be conducted of extension and university employees in each CASD project state.
o
A profile assessment of the workforce
will be conducted in each CASD state in 2002 and again in 2005.
o
A written survey of each state
will be conducted in 2002 and again in 2005.
o
A phone call interview will be
held with key extension administration in each state during 2002-2003.
o
An on-site personal interview
with key extension administration and Catalyst Teams in each state will be
conducted during 2005.
o
Personal interviews with CASD
members will be held during bi-annual face-to-face meetings throughout the
project period.
o
A review will be conducted of
organizational documents, policy statements, and diversity plans in each state.
o
Documentation of planned CASD
Collaborative Tasks will be reviewed to determine the extent of completion.
To
date, the climate and profile assessments have been conducted during 2002
in all eight states. Data have
been analyzed and reported to the states.
Survey results will be compared to the results collected in 2005. Additionally, a written survey of each
state has been conducted in 2002 and interviews with Extension Directors in
each state are underway. The
survey data is currently being analyzed.
This study is
being conducted by Dr. Patreese D. Ingram, Associate Professor of Agricultural
and Extension Education, The Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Ingram is Chair of the Pennsylvania
Catalyst Team and an active member of the CASD Project. This study is being
conducted with the support of the Fund for Rural America.
CASD
Project Evaluation
Patreese D. Ingram, Ed.D
Associate Professor of Agricultural and Extension Education,
Pennsylvania State University
with partial support from The Fund For Rural America
Contact
Information:
Phone:
(814) 863-7439
Email:
pdi1@psu.edu
The purpose of
this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Change Agent States for
Diversity (CASD) Project
and assess states’ movement in three organizational change
initiatives: 1) Organizational
Profile, 2) Valuing Differences Education, and 3) Managing Diversity Skill
Development.
The research
design incorporates both quantitative and qualitative methodology, is
multi-faceted and has two distinct data collection points--at the beginning of
the project (2002), and five years later (2007). A comparison of data collected at these two points in time
will provide a basis for determining the effectiveness of the project toward
achieving its goals.
2002 and 2005 Data Collection
The following are components of the evaluation study which will be conducted at the beginning of the project (2002) and again five years later (2005):
o
A survey
assessing the climate of extension and university employees in each CASD
project state.
o
A profile
assessment of the workforce in each CASD state to determine the demographic
make-up of employees.
o
A written
survey of each state to be conducted in 2002 and again in 2007.
o
A review of
organizational documents, policy statements, and diversity plans in each CASD
state.
o
A telephone
interview with key extension administration in each state (at the beginning)
and an on-site personal interview with key extension administration in each
state (five years later).
The Baseline
Data Report - 2003 summarizes the Key Administrator Written Survey and the Key
Administrator Telephone Interview data collected during the first part of the
project. It represents a portion
of the baseline data.
2005 Data Collection
The following
are components of the evaluation study which will be conducted five years after
initial data collection:
o
An on-site
personal interview with the Catalyst Teams in each state.
o
Documentation
of planned CASD Collaborative Tasks will be reviewed to determine the extent of
completion.
Additionally
o
Personal interviews with CASD
members will be held during bi-annual face-to-face meetings throughout the
project period.
Download large pdf format of evaluation or view as web page